The Halifax Hurricanes are chasing another National Basketball League of Canada Championship, and once again their arch-rivals are the last team standing in their way.
For the third straight season the Hurricanes will take on the London Lightning for the NBLC title. In 2016, the Hurricanes defeated London four games to three in a best-of-seven series to win the franchise’s first and only championship. Last year, the Lightning got their revenge defeating Halifax four games to two.
"It's a trilogy they're calling it, three years in a row playing the same team, so it should be a good exciting series," says Hurricanes point guard Cliff Clinkscales.
"It's going to be physical, competitive, we both want to win," adds Hurricanes shooting guard Antoine Mason.
Halifax claimed the Atlantic Division title by defeating the Moncton Magic four games to one, while London advanced to the league finals by defeating the St. John's Edge four games to two.
"They got us last year, we got them the year before, so it's going to be a grind out series and everybody's got to give it all they have," continued Mason, who leads the Hurricanes in scoring averaging over 20 points per game.
The Hurricanes finished the regular season with a record of 28 wins and 12 losses, good for first in the league, giving them home-court advantage for this year's series against London who finished the regular season with a record of 27-13.
"We want to be successful, we believe the franchise is pushing in that direction, both in the fan base, their success on the court and the work that we've done in the community off the court, so capping it off with a championship would be a very positive finish for us," says Hurricanes head coach Mike Leslie.
The best of seven series begins Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.
